Is Nico Iamaleava playing vs. Georgia? Latest Tennessee injury report for Week 12

In some ways, the path forward is awfully simple for the Tennessee Volunteers. While the rest of the SEC devolves into chaos, the Vols sit above the fray at 8-1 overall and 5-1 in conference, needing only to win their final three games to punch their ticket to the first conference title game since way back in 2007.

Of course, in practice, it's anything but simple. Because the first of those three games comes this Saturday at Georgia, who hasn't lost between the hedges in Sanford Stadium since Oct. 12, 2019 — a span of 28 straight home games, most in school history and the longest in FBS since Clemson went nearly six full years without a home loss from 2016 to 2022. As Carson Beck continues to struggle, this year's Dawgs look more vulnerable than they have in a while. But Kirby Smart figures to have his team ready to rock after a humiliating loss to Ole Miss last Saturday, and Josh Heupel has yet to come close to beating Georgia in three tries since taking over in Knoxville.

And on top of all that, Tennessee might be without the services of starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava. Iamaleava was forced to leave last weekend's win over Mississippi State after taking a big hit, and while Heupel termed the move a "precautionary measure," rumors have swirled all week that the QB could be forced to miss Saturday's game as he moves through concussion protocol. What's the latest on Iamaleava's status? And what does it mean for Tennessee if he can't go? Here's all the latest.

Is Nico Iamaleava playing vs. Georgia?

As it stands, it seems like Iamaleava will be able to go against the Dawgs on Saturday. He was listed as questionable on Tennessee's injury reports on both Wednesday and Thursday, but things appear to be trending in the right direction as the week comes to a close. 247's Matt Zenitz reported that, while Iamaleava has yet to be fully cleared, "sources have shared continued optimism" that he'll be able to play on Saturday.

Zenitz adds that Iamaleava has steadily progressed through the concussion protocol throughout the week, which is a good sign. Unlike other injuries, this isn't a game-time call sort of thing: Either Iamaleava is checking the right boxes in his recovery or he's not, and if the latter were the case, we'd undoubtedly have started to hear whispers of it with kickoff just a day away. The fact that all signs point to Iamaleava playing is a good indication of where he's at right now.

Of course, anything is still possible, and Tennessee will need to be prepared in the event that it has to go without its star signal-caller.

Who will start at QB for Tennessee if Nico Iamaleava is out?

If Iamaleava can't go, it's going to be an uphill battle for the Vols in Athens. The backup QB is currently Gaston Moore, a redshirt senior walked on to Tennessee's roster after following Heupel from UCF. Moore has played very sparingly in Knoxville, throwing just 42 passes over his four-year career. Eight of those passes came last Saturday, when he went 5-for-8 for 38 yards while carrying twice for three yards to help the Vols see out a win against Mississippi State.

Heupel and Co. are saying all the right things about Moore in the lead up to Saturday, but don't be mistaken: Tennessee's SEC and national title hopes could well ride on the health of Iamaleava.